The 1864 - L
by Ron Goodger
Did you ever find good stuff at a site and go back 15 years later with a new machine to get what you left behind? I got a big penny (I don't remember the date) and 1859 & 1860 Indians in the same hole at a one room school. I was using a White's 6000-D. The large cent came out first. When I re-checked the hole, there was just a whisper. I went back in for the Indians at a depth of about 7 inches. Needless to say, I carfully checked every inch for a several foot radius, but came up with nothing else.
Several years later when I traded Paul Thurman my GTA-1000 for a Minelab Sovereign, I had no idea how good a machine it was. It didn't take long to figure out, though. I was soon re-visiting all the good sites I knew. Sure enough, I missed an Indian head about a foot from the spot where those three were. It came up from 8 inches of black loam soil. It had been just out of reach of the 6000-D, and the most valuable of the four! Current (2023) ebay listings say this UNC 1864-L is worth between $400 and $1000. I don't know what the smooth green patina does to that value, but It doesn't matter because I'm never gonna sell it anyway!
I did equally well at other sites with the Minelab. The first week netted two seated dimes, an 1850 half dime, about 10 Barber dimes, and 30-40 Indians in places I KNOW the 6000-D had swung over. (Hmmmm... Minelab should be paying me for this one, huh?)
The above photo, take in the early 1990s when the piece was found, shows the green patina from being in the ground. The photo below was taken in macro mode with an Android cell phone in May of 2023. Plenty of light washed out the green patina, but the result clearly shows the uncirculated condition of the piece. You can also see the re-punched date and doubled lettering around the rim, as well as doubling of the feathers in the head dress. The L in the ribbon is sharp and clear. Too bad the sandy soil put so many small dings and scratches in it. There is still some dirt in the lettering. I didn't want to clean it much, for obvious reasons. This coin and the ones found with it must have been dropped in 1864. This coin won find of the month at the Plainwell, Michigan metal detector club in 1992.
